India, Oct. 24 -- Kerala has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre to join the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme, the union education ministry announced on Friday.

The PM SHRI initiative, launched in September 2022, aims to transform 14,500 existing government schools into model institutions. This centrally sponsored scheme follows a 60:40 funding model between the Centre and the states.

The signing of the MoU under the PM SHRI scheme marks a significant policy shift for Kerala, which had earlier opted out, citing concerns that participation could pave the way for the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in the state. The Kerala government had also objected to the require...